‘Due to Urgent Need’ – In First, Israeli Army Outsources Repair of Tanks Damaged in Gaza

Abu Obeida announced that the Palestinian Resistance destroyed 136 Israeli military vehicles. (Photo: Qassam military media, video grab)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Throughout the war, videos released by Palestinian resistance groups have frequently shown fighters damaging or destroying Israeli military vehicles.

The Israeli army has, “for the first time in its history”, enlisted private companies to repair its armored military vehicles that were damaged by the Palestinian Resistance in the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media reports.

This marks a notable change in the army’s procedures, as it had previously depended entirely on internal resources for such repairs.

The Israeli news website Ynet reported on Sunday that the decision is “due to the urgent need seen in the year-long war against Hezbollah and Hamas.”

In addition, there has been a decision to bring in retired professionals to assist in the maintenance efforts.

“The load on the IDF (Isreali army – PC) on this matter is extremely high,” the report highlighted.

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Due to the high number of Merkava tanks and Namer and Eitan armored combat vehicles damaged in the Israeli operations in Gaza, the army’s stock of armored vehicles has been severely depleted.

The army’s procurement administration is expected to release a tender soon, with eligibility extending to companies involved in heavy industries, particularly those specializing in metalworking and welding, as reported by the website.

This follows a previous acknowledgment by the Israeli army in July that it faced shortages of tanks and ammunition amid its ongoing operations in Gaza. 

At the time, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the army informed Israel’s Supreme Court that many of its tanks were damaged during the Gaza war and that its ammunition supplies were running low. 

Citing the court filing, the newspaper reported that “the number of operational tanks in the corps is insufficient for the war needs”.

Throughout the war, videos released by Palestinian resistance groups have frequently shown fighters damaging or destroying Israeli military vehicles.

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Ongoing Genocide

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza. 

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7. 

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 42,603 Palestinians have been killed, and 99,795 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.

Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip. 

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’. 

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Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children. 

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.

(The Palestine Chronicle)